Buchanan Crowns 3 Champs, Rolls to California State Title as Zinkin Tops Sanchez in Blockbuster Final

Nation’s No. 1 program piles up 12 placers in Bakersfield while Rocklin Zinkin’s showdown win, Bailey Holman’s surprise run and multiple first-time champions headline a loaded state tournament.

Buchanan's Rocklin Zinkin became a three-time CIF state champion, topping Esperanza's Sammy Sanchez, two-time World Champion and a fellow defending state champion, in the 126-pound final. / Rocklin Zinkin

We cruised into Bakersfield, California on a Thursday afternoon and left that town in the rear-view mirror Saturday night after watching No. 1 Buchanan roll to an easy team title at the Dignity Health Arena amongst some remarkable individual performances.

Zinkin Wins the Showdown That Closed It

Non greater than No. 2 Rocklin Zinkin, a two-time defending state champion and Fargo National Champ facing off against No. 4 Sammy Sanchez of Esperanza, a two-time World Champion and state titlists as a freshman at 120 pounds. Their match was the closer of the boys’ slate, which began with the 126-pound class. 

Zinkin’s winning points were accrued in the opening round when he converted a shot into a takedown to go up 3-0. Zinkin chose down to start the second and got one on an escape for a 4-0 lead. Sanchez chose the bottom for the third and picked up a quick reversal. Zinkin would add an escape to make it 5-2. Sanchez was in deep at the end but couldn’t do enough to gain a takedown.  

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Zinkin, a senior heading to Oklahoma State, was second in the state as a freshman and has now finished on top for three years in a row. Sanchez is just a sophomore, so he has two more chances to strike gold, but a shot at four evaporated on Saturday. 

Defending What’s Their’s

Two of the nation’s top-rated grapplers at their weights defended their titles, 175-pounder Mario Carini (Poway) and 138-pounder Moses Mendoza (Gilroy). A third did it from the countries’ number two perch, heavyweight Coby Merrill (JW North).

Carini, a junior who was third at states as a freshman, toed the line with No. 13 Isai Fernandez (St. John Bosco) in his final. Carini edged Fernandez 1-0 at Doc Buchanan. Carini was more active in the rematch gearing up for takedowns in the second and third period en route to an 8-1 win. 

Mendoza and his foe, No. 11 CJ Huerta (Buchanan), did not meet this year (unless we missed it). Huerta is likely wishing they had never met after Mendoza easily disposed of him with a 24-8 technical fall. Mendoza, a soon to be Michigan Wolverine, did not wrestle at states as a freshman and was third as a sophomore before breaking through last year. 

Merrill, on the other hand, has made an appearance in the finals every time he’s visited the state arena. The first two resulted in runner-up finishes and last year he delivered his first crown on an 8-2 decision of Mark Marin (Clovis). The Iowa State commit planted another from Clovis, No 25 Andrew Arroyo, with a half in 37 seconds to end his final time under the spotlight quickly. 

The Power of the Bears

Buchanan crowned three champions and had 12 of their 14 wrestlers reach the state podium to join the Girls’ squad as state champs. No. 6 Paul Ruiz (126 pounds) and No. 2 Ashton Besmer (132) secured gold alongside Zinkin. 

Reaching the finals and not fulfilling their title quests were No. 3 Thales Silva (106 pounds), Huerta, and No. 20 Ivan Arias (150). No. 22 Joseph Toscano (144 pounds) and No. 14 Thiago Silva (113) were third. Placing fifth were Carlo Contino (157 pounds) and No. 24 Sammy Seja (285). Blake Woodward was sixth at 165 pounds with Patrick Roberts landing seventh at 175. 

Besmer, a senior, is now a three-time state placer after taking care of No. 2 Slater Hicks of Valencia, 9-6. Hicks, who lost to Besemer 10-2 at Doc B, put the first takedown in the book but couldn’t sustain his early mojo, allowing two takedowns and three escapes for Besmer.

Ruiz was second as a freshman and did not suffer a sophomore slump on the big stage as he got past No. 7 Siraj Sidhu (Clovis North), 1-0, with his second period escape representing all the scoring. Ruiz lost to Sidhu in December at the Zinkin Classic. Since then, Ruiz is now on a four-match win streak against Sidhu. 

Second Rate No More

Making the jump up one spot like Ruiz were Clovis North’s No. 13 Jonathan Rocha (190), St. John Bosco’s No. 5 Jesse Grajeda (144 pounds), and Clovis’ No. 4 Anthony Garza (113). 

Rocha was sixth when he was a freshman then was M.I.A. as a sophomore and made his return last year to finish as a silver medalist. Rocha got it done on his final trip to states in grand fashion. Rocha was paired up with No. 21 Mason Savidan (St. John Bosco). Savidan scored first and was holding a 3-1 edge when Rocha balled him up with a cradle and stuck the Brave in 3:10. 

Grajeda has been left holding silver for the last two years and now completes his junior campaign atop the Cali hierarchy after torching No. 29 Chris Arreola, 17-4, in his finals match. Another Brave improved his podium position from fourth to first, No. 4 Michael Romero (150 pounds). Romero took on Buchanan’s Arias and won by a 4-2 count, which was identical to their Doc B meeting. 

Garza, who was fourth as a freshman, got over the hump with a 15-6 major decision of Esperanza’s No. 31 Max Murillo. Garza decked Murillo at Doc B. The junior’s teammate No. 2 Michael Bernabe kept his recent dominance of No. 3 Thales Silva going to hit pay dirt as a freshman at 106 pounds. Bernabe dropped his first two encounters with Sliva but changed the narrative at Doc B and has not looked back. The 12-1 major decision here marks the greatest margin of victory for Bernabe. 

Best-of-Three Goes to Calkins

Liberty’s No. 6 David Calkins placed seventh when he was a sophomore but couldn’t replicate that a year ago, now he stands at the top spot at 215 pounds after gaining the upper hand in his rivalry with No. 5 Wes Burford (Oakdale) with a 6-5 win. 

Calkins beat Burford at the James Riddle Tournament, then fell to Burford at January’s Doc B. More than a month later they met again to decide the state champ. Calkins went up 3-1 in the second after bringing a low single to his feet for a perfect finish. 

Calkins went down for the third and got his one then allowed a double leg shot that Burford brought to his feet to secure. Not realizing he had been awarded the takedown proved costly to Burford as he was hit for having locked hands. Instead of holding the 5-4 advantage, it was now 5-5. Burford chose to let Calkins up with 30 seconds left and that’s how it would end. 

Birmingham’s No. 2 Slava Shahbazyan had a drama free trip in the 165-pound finals, never being threatened as he worked to a 13-4 major over No. 23 James Curoso (Clovis). 

Holman’s Unexpected Run

Poway’s Bailey Holman was an unexpected finalist at 157 pounds, and once that was checked off, was then placed on the “unlikely to win a state championship” list. Not to disparage Holman as he earned it, but his path would have likely been different if top-seeded No. 5 Christopher Creason, a returning champ from El Diamante, hadn’t forfeited out of the tournament ahead of the quarters.

Holman used that turn to his advantage and moved through the top half of the bracket to face No. 40 Wyatt Lewis (Del Norte), the third seed, who beat No. 21 Jacob Perez (Everett Alvarez), 7-0, in the semis. Holman proved he was worthy of his finals appearance by dishing a 4-1 loss to Lewis.

Team Standings vs. Our Rankings

We’d be remiss if we didn’t give a more detailed explanation of the team standings. Our national team rankings have six from California present. They were the top six here, but not as we had laid them out.

Buchanan handled their business. The first shakeup comes with No. 11 Poway coming I second and outpacing No. 6 St. John Bosco (the Braves finished ahead of them at Doc B). No. 12 Clovis was fourth, so spot on. No. 35 Gilroy makes us look bad with that rating after outpointing No. 13 Clovis North for fifth place.  

Team Scores (Top 10)

1-Buchanan 288.5

2-Poway 229.5

3-St. John Bosco 229.5

4-Clovis 177.5

5-Gilroy 165.5

6-Clovis North 163

7-Esperanza 151

8-Birmingham 119

9-Fountain Valley 99

10-Pitman 75

Individual Results

106-Pounds

1st Michael Bernabe (Clovis (CS)) MD Thales Silva (Buchanan (CS)), 12-1

3rd Cash Mcclurg (Granite Hills (SD)) DEC Aiden Talavera (Reedley (CS)), 7-0

5th Luke Loren (St. John Bosco (SS)) MD Tyler Sweet (Clovis North (CS)), 12-3

7th Kingston Cruzat (Folsom (SJ)) MD Nathiel Nava (Stockdale (CS)), 12-1

113-Pounds

1st Anthony Garza (Clovis (CS)) MD Max Murillo (Esperanza (SS)), 15-6

3rd Thiago Silva (Buchanan (CS)) DEC Eli Mendoza (Gilroy (CC)), 5-3

5th Uriah Correa (Servite (SS)) DEC Phillip Hernandez (Clovis North (CS)), 4-1

7th Daniel Mendoza (Victor Valley (SS)) F Julius Villamil (Poway (SD)), 4:41

120-Pounds

1st Rocklin Zinkin (Buchanan (CS)) DEC Samuel Sanchez (Esperanza (SS)), 5-2

3rd Henry Aslikyan (Birmingham (LA)) DEC Rene Cordero (Poway (SD)), 7-3

5th Aiden Garcia (Palma (CC)) DEC Zachary Samano (Chino (SS)), 4-1

7th Nathan Reynolds (St. John Bosco (SS)) MD Troy Montero (La Mirada (SS)), 15-3

126-Pounds

1st Paul Ruiz (Buchanan (CS)) DEC Siraj Sidhu (Clovis North (CS)), 1-0

3rd Thunder Lewis (Del Norte (Cresent City) (NC)) F Aaron Silva (Corona Del Mar (SS)), 4:18

5th Sean Willcox (St. John Bosco (SS)) MD Elias Castaneda (Bella Vista (SJ)), 8-0

7th Issac Torres (Fountain Valley (SS)) M FOR Aaron Meza (Esperanza (SS))

132-Pounds

1st Ashton Besmer (Buchanan (CS)) DEC Slater Hicks (Valencia/Valencia (SS)), 9-6

3rd Arno Vardanyan (Birmingham (LA)) DEC Nathan Carrillo (St. John Bosco (SS)), 4-2

5th Jack Malinconico (Poway (SD)) DEC Cael Humphrey (Sultana (SS)), 8-4

7th Dominic Bozanic (Gilroy (CC)) DEC Joseph Guardado (Esperanza (SS)), 4-1

138-Pounds

1st Moses Mendoza (Gilroy (CC)) TF Cj Huerta (Buchanan (CS)), 24-8 5:12

3rd Vinnie Gutierrez (Fountain Valley (SS)) MD Raymond Rivera (Clovis (CS)), 10-2

5th Matty Orbeta (Poway (SD)) DEC Orion Hill (Folsom (SJ)), 6-2

7th Zaydrein Hernandez (St. John Bosco (SS)) DEC Joseph Pavlov-ramirez (Los Gatos (CC)), 5-0

144-Pounds

1st Jesse Grajeda (St. John Bosco (SS)) MD Chris Arreola (Clovis North (CS)), 17-4

3rd Joseph Toscano (Buchanan (CS)) DEC Kavi Garvey (Fountain Valley (SS)), 4-0

5th Diego Valdiviezo (Poway (SD)) DEC Ames-michael Hoevker (Granite Hills (SD)), 4-1 TB2

7th Edward Sheeran (Pitman (SJ)) DEC Rocco Godinez (Centennial (Corona) (SS)), 8-5

150-Pounds

1st Michael Romero (St. John Bosco (SS)) DEC Ivan Arias (Buchanan (CS)), 4-2

3rd Tommy Holguin (Bellarmine (CC)) DEC Alias Raby (Anderson (NS)), 15-12

5th Joshua Requena (Camarillo (SS)) DEC Greg Torosian (Birmingham (LA)), 3-2 UTB

7th Carlos Valdiviezo (Poway (SD)) MD Matthew Centeno (Esperanza (SS)), 10-1

157-Pounds

1st Bailey Holman (Poway (SD)) DEC Wyatt Lewis (Del Norte (Cresent City) (NC)), 4-1

3rd Jacob Perez (Everett Alvarez (CC)) MD Roman Arakelyan (Birmingham (LA)), 16-5

5th Carlo Contino (Buchanan (CS)) F Dimetry Molina (Esperanza (SS)), 3:51

7th Chris Anguiano (Millikan (SS)) MD Chase Young (Del Oro (SJ)), 10-1

165-Pounds

1st Slava Shahbazyan (Birmingham (LA)) MD James Curoso (Clovis (CS)), 13-4

3rd Kaleo Garcia (Gilroy (CC)) MD Jesus Guzman (Lakeside (SS)), 12-3

5th Mason Carnrite (Poway (SD)) DEC Blake Woodward (Buchanan (CS)), 8-1

7th Tigran Greyan (Valencia/Valencia (SS)) MD Treyton Sheets (Frontier (CS)), 13-3

175-Pounds

1st Mario Carini (Poway (SD)) DEC Isai Fernandez (St. John Bosco (SS)), 8-1

3rd Mason Ontiveros (Pitman (SJ)) DEC Travis Grace (Gilroy (CC)), 9-7

5th Elijah Ornelas (Clovis North (CS)) DEC Ashton Lassig (Temecula Valley (SS)), 5-0

7th Patrick Roberts (Buchanan (CS)) TF Kelan Stever (San Clemente (SS)), 17-2 2:26

190-Pounds

1st Jonathan Rocha (Clovis North (CS)) F Mason Savidan (St. John Bosco (SS)), 3:10

3rd Dom Dotson (Poway (SD)) TF Carter Vannest (Pitman (SJ)), 17-1 1:16

5th Noah Daniels (Sheldon (SJ)) F Gabriel Barragan (Esperanza (SS)), 0:16

7th Jackson Naven (Frontier (CS)) MD Brady Wight (Vacaville (SJ)), 11-2

215-Pounds

1st David Calkins jr. (Liberty (NC)) DEC Wes Burford (Oakdale (SJ)), 6-5

3rd Mick Moylan (Poway (SD)) TF Kai Ford (Ponderosa (SJ)), 15-0 3:42

5th Brian Haran (Gilroy (CC)) DEC Kaden Cryer (Moreno Valley (SS)), 8-1

7th Emilio Ayala (Kingsburg (CS)) DEC Jaxon Smith (Chaparral (SS)), 4-3

285-Pounds

1st Coby Merrill (JW North (SS)) F Andrew Arroyo (Clovis (CS)), 0:37

3rd Matthew Cooley (Oakdale (SJ)) DEC Noah Huss (Moorpark (SS)), 4-2

5th Sammy Seja (Buchanan (CS)) M FOR Noah Larios (Imperial (SD))

7th Nathaniel Espericueta (Frontier (CS)) M FOR Carlos Sutton (Etiwanda (SS))